Anders Jensen

In this time a man of medicine has to choose whether he is a physician, healing through time-honoured treatments, or a surgeon, willing to cut into the human body itself at need. A few managed to straddle the line and the further down the social scale, the more the two become mixed, perforce.

But to be granted a licence to practice as a physician it is necessary to spurn all knowledge and skill as a surgeon.

Anders has not given his life to medicine to be told how he might or might not save a life or bring relief to suffering. There are too many men in the profession who are more concerned about protecting their own privilege than about balancing humours or healing wounds in others.

But there are still a few who are willing to be patrons of a man who refuses to cut off one of his healing hands and use only the other. Such need to be men of resource as medicine is not cheap and men of courage as it is not easy to step aside and say ‘do your work.’

Anders has come to England to learn and practise his skills – Philip Lord might well be the man with the foresight to allow him to do so.

But the life of a healer in a company of soldiers can never be restful or easy.